Page 22 of Abra's Acquisition
“What did you tell her?”
“I told her that we were under your protection.”
“How did she take it?”
Francois shrugs. “She was livid. I told her to leave or I would call the police. She left. I haven't seen her since.”
Abra nods. “Okay, call us if she comes back.”
Francois hands us the menus as he takes our drink orders. Once he leaves, I place the menu on the table and focus on Abra. “What was that all about?”
“Do you already know what you’re getting?” Abra asks without answering my question.
“Yes, I always get the seafood linguini. Now, what was Francois talking about? Who is Lydia? Was she the woman you found when you rescued the other women and me?”
Abra nods. “She owned a bakery on this block. The guys who kidnapped you torched her place when they kidnapped her. They were pulling a protection racket on the businesses in this area. Francois was one of his victims.”
“Who is this woman Francois mentioned?”
“I don’t know, but I’m certain she’s working with those bastards. She may not know they’re in jail. I need to tell Hex about her. I’ll call him after we place our orders.”
After the waitstaff brings our drinks and takes our orders, Abra takes out his phone and calls Hex. I’m half-listening to their conversation as I sip my iced tea and enjoy the quiet beauty around us. This is precisely what I need after the past forty-eight hours.
“I’m mad at you,” I tell Abra when he ends the call.
He smirks at me. “How can you be mad at me? I took you shopping, and now I’m treating you to a fabulous dinner. I should be racking up the points.”
“I can’t believe you bought me all those clothes! That must have cost you a small fortune. How much did you spend? You know I’m going to pay you back, right?”
Abra’s smirk turns into a grimace. “You aren’t paying me back. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“How is that being ridiculous? You must have spent thousands! I can’t let you spend that kind of money on me.”
Rather than argue, Abra reaches across the table to take my hand. He rubs his thumb over the back of my hand as he watches the movement. After a few seconds, he raises his eyes to mine. “I wanted to buy you those clothes. You’ve had a horrible two days. You’ve been through too much. Some of what you went through was my fault. This is my way of easing my conscience. Please don’t argue with me about the clothes or about paying me back. I needed to do that for you. Can’t that be enough?”
“You think because you stole that figurine from Erickson that you caused him to kidnap me?”
Abra tries to pull away, but I clasp his hand to still him.
“I’m not an idiot. Please, don’t treat me like one. I saw the video feed. That was you. I didn’t know at first, but I know now. Cicero has the figurine because you stole it and gave it tohim. Am I right? I’m guessing you’ve stolen other things from Erickson. He seemed certain you were the thief.”
Abra pulls his hand out of mine and runs it through his long, black hair as he sits back in his chair with a long sigh. “I know you’re not an idiot. I guess I was hoping you didn’t put it together. Yeah, I stole the figurine, and I’ve stolen other things from Erickson in the past. Cicero wanted the figurine for his research and knew I could obtain it for him because I had previously broken into Erickson’s home. But I’m not a common thief.”
He seems so insulted by the thought of being considered common; I have to laugh. “I don’t think there is anything common about you. Remember, I’ve been in Erickson’s house and I saw the video feed. You waltzed in there like you were entering a brick-and-mortar store. Erickson was right there and didn’t know what you were doing. Hell, I was there, too, and I didn’t sense you. You’re like a ghost.”
Abra seems pleased with my comment. He leans forward. “I saw you there that night. I thought you were stunning and couldn’t figure out why you’d hang with an asshole like Erickson.”
“It was just business. But I have to ask. You’ve stolen from others, haven’t you?”
Abra studies my face, but before he responds, Francois delivers our meals. We enthuse over the food before Abra informs Francoise that Hex is aware of the woman who tried to shake him down. He tells Francois to call if she shows up again. Francois leaves us, seeming happy to know that the problem is in the hands of the Demon Dawgs.
I dig into my food without pressing Abra to answer my question, even though I’m dying for him to open up to me.
“If you suspected I was guilty, why didn’t you tell your brother?”
“Because I didn’t have any proof, and I don’t think you’re a bad guy. I figured out that you stole that figurine for Cicero because you owed Cicero a favor. Brigitte implied that Erickson stole the figurine from De Villier’s house. You and your club are complicated men. You break the law, but then you help innocent people. If it weren’t for you and your club, I’d probably still be in that place with the other women those bastards kidnapped. Maybe you are one-percenters, so maybe you do break the law, but I’m still grateful. No matter what my brother says.”
“I wasn’t lying when I told your brother we had legitimate businesses. Zip owns a tattoo parlor. Lake and I manage several auto shops. Dixie is investing in a gun range. We aren’t as successful as some of the other clubs. Not yet. Puma, the President of our Las Vegas Chapter, had the foresight to invest in a casino. They’re making money hand over fist. Our main Chapter in San Diego has several businesses that have made them wealthy. Dante, the President of all the Chapters, wants all the clubs to go legit. He won’t force them to, but he’s showing them how to do it.”
